anagama writes: "The NY Times is reporting that as early as 1972, the design of the containment system used in the Fukushima plant's reactors was questioned by the US Atomic Energy Commission. The article includes a link to the original 1972 memo, which pointed out that the boiling water design with the pressure suppression system below the reactor, was a method of building containment more cheaply by reducing pressure reduction within the reactor, but that if the pressure reduction system failed, breach of the containment was more likely than in simpler and stronger dry containment systems. In other words, the BWR design was a cost-cutting measure. Thankfully though, Josef Oehmen has assured us that absolutely nothing bad can happen with this design and everyone should just relax."